UN report says Palestinian detainees taken by Israeli authorities faced torture, mistreatment
Geneva (AP): The UN human rights office has issued a report Wednesday saying Palestinian detainees taken by Israeli authorities since the Oct. 7 attacks in Gaza have faced waterboarding, sleep deprivation, electric shocks and other torture and mistreatment.
The report says that Israel's prison service held more than 9,400 “security detainees” as of the end of June, and some have been held in secret without access to lawyers or respect for their legal rights.
A summary of the report, based on interviews with former detainees and other sources, decries a “staggering” number of detainees — including men, women, children, journalists and human rights defenders — and said such practices raise concerns about arbitrary detention.
“The testimonies gathered by my office and other entities indicate a range of appalling acts, such as waterboarding and the release of dogs on detainees, amongst other acts, in flagrant violation of international human rights law and international humanitarian law,” said U.N. Human Rights Chief Volker Türk in a statement.
Findings in the report, one of the most extensive of its kind, could be used by International Criminal Court prosecutors who are looking into crimes committed in connection with the Oct. 7 attacks and its aftermath, including Israel's blistering military campaign that is ongoing in Gaza.
Authors of the report said its content was shared with the Israeli government. The Associated Press has contacted the Israeli diplomatic mission for comment.
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Senior Kannada film actor ‘Sarigama Viji’ dies at 76 due to health issues
Bengaluru: Senior actor of the Kannada film industry, R Vijaykumar, popularly called ‘Sarigama Viji’, who was well-known for his performance in supporting and humorous roles, passed away on Wednesday morning. He was 76.
The actor, who had developed severe health problems and was under treatment at a private hospital near Yeshwantpur in the city the last few days, failed to respond to the treatment and passed away on Wednesday.
He is survived by his wife and two children. Sources have said that the funeral rites will be conducted at the Chamarajpet crematorium.
Vijaykumar, who began his acting career with theatre, got a big break in the play ‘Samsaradalli Sarigama’, which also earned him the nickname ‘Sarigama’. Moving on to films, Vijaykumar acted in several movies mainly as a supporting actor and in the humour roles. In a couple of movies, he also performed in the role of the villain.
